A "DISASTROUS" outdoor area at a youth club is in desperate need of a revamp, after plans for a regeneration project fell through.

Youngsters at the Shepperton Youth Centre will have to put up with a view of a "filthy" concrete courtyard in Shepperton Court Drive, unless volunteers can come forward to donate their time, skills and materials for the 219 children at the centre.

Staff at the centre, which recently opened a skate park known as the Shepperton Youth Village next door, are appealing for help from the community to regenerate the courtyard in time for its official opening.

Chelsea Renehan, a youth and community worker, said: “It is disastrous. It is a nightmare.

“The flagstones are filthy and are not level, and there is a shed that needs to be knocked down – we can’t use it. The youth centre is a vibrant space and we need the outside area.”

She said it was more like a prison than a youth centre and staff wanted it to be a space where young people could feel safe and chat with friends or hold barbecues during the summer.

According to Chelsea, the work could cost as much as £6,000 in materials and labour but the centre does not have the funds to cover this.

The centre is run by the Lifetrain Trust, an education and personal development charity for young people in Surrey, which does not contribute to funding. Instead everyone at the centre fundraises to pay for any upgrades.

A company was due to provide building materials for the regeneration but this fell through, leaving the centre without the funds or materials for the much-needed project.

Chelsea said: “We are looking for people who have the skills or spare time to help us.

“If someone is a builder or a gardener, or has flagstones they can donate, or perhaps a jetwasher, that would be great. It’s all hands on deck.

“We have a garden party and launch arranged for July.

“It is really important for the kids to have it regenerated, to have a safe, outdoor space.”

Chelsea said the regeneration plans had been in the pipeline for more than a year but that if nobody came forward, they would be forced to scrap the project, instead just making the area safer for the children.